This application is related to and commonly assigned with U.S. Pat. No. 5,551,322, issued to Mikic et al. on Sep. 3, 1996, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.
The present application relates generally to tools for turning threaded fasteners, such as bolts, nuts and the like, and more particularly to ratcheting open-end wrench heads, commonly known as speed wrenches.
Hexagonal fasteners, such as common bolt heads or nuts, may be located in areas with very limited accessibility, which impedes a conventional open-end wrench""s rotational movement. With a conventional open-end wrench, a minimum 60 degree rotational path is required in order to rotate the fastener enough for disengagement and subsequent re-engagement. A common practice in the art to somewhat extend an open ended wrench""s rotational movement is to offset the wrench head at a fixed angle relative to the wrench handle. Typically, this angle ranges from 15 to 60 degrees. However, this practice still does not solve the obstacle problem, but rather allows the user to engage the fastener head at a different approach angle with the hope of extending its rotational movement by avoiding obstacles.
Alternately, a user may employ a ratchet and socket assembly which allows the socket to maintain constant contact with the fastener head while enabling the ratchet body to return to the starting point. However, this assembly""s use is still extremely limited because it is generally cumbersome and large, due to the internal mechanical components of the ratcheting mechanism. As such, the assembly often cannot be used because it is too large to fit over a fastener""s head due to the limited clearance relative to an obstacle.
To combat this problem, the prior art includes ratcheting open-end wrench heads which provide a ratcheting-type action without the use of complex and sizable ratchet wheels or other moving parts. The ratcheting action is generally accomplished by providing respective long and short driving surfaces in the wrench head. When applying torque, the driving surfaces engage sides of the fastener, thus rotating the fastener in the desired direction. When the wrench is rotated in the opposite direction, the driving surfaces do not engage the fastener, but rather xe2x80x9cslipxe2x80x9d over the corners of the fastener, thus providing a xe2x80x9cratchetingxe2x80x9d action. As such, it is possible for the user to achieve a ratcheting result without the cost and complexity of a conventional ratchet and socket assembly. Such a speed wrench allows the user to apply consistent torque to the hexagonal fastener without requiring the user to remove the wrench head from the fastener when the extremes of the rotational angle are reached. However, a limitation of this type of speed wrench is that it is not usable where lateral access to the fastener is minimal or non-existent.
The present application utilizes the unique wrench head design of the Mikic et al. patent and incorporates a lug aperture on the wrench head""s distal end to readily receive a drive lug of an extension tool, such as a breaker bar or extension handle. As such, the present invention incorporates the benefits of the speed wrench""s ratcheting capability to maintain positive contact with the fastener or nut at all times, with the ability for use with a fastener in a location with little or no lateral access.